John Fastolf

John Fastolf (1380-5 November 1459) was an English knight during the Hundred Years' War.

Biography
John Fastolf was the son of a Norfolk gentleman, and he served as a squire to Thomas de Mowbray, 1st Duke of Norfolk before serving under Thomas of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Clarence in Ireland in 1405 and 1406. He served in Gascony in 1413 during the Hundred Years' War, and from 1415 to 1439 he served in northern France alongside King Henry V of England and John of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Bedford. He took part in the Siege of Harfleur in 1415, and he missed the Battle of Agincourt after being invalided home. In the winter of 1415-1416, he defended Harfleur against a French attempt to reconquer it, and he was appointed Governor of Maine and Anjou. He was defeated during the Siege of Orleans and in Joan of Arc's capture of the Loire Valley, with his defeat at Patay leading to Fastolf being accused of cowardice. In 1440, he returned home, and he died in 1459.